Leonor Espinosa

Her culinary proposal claims Colombian native flavours, combining contemporary art with field research, anthropological insight and immersion in different geographical locations country.

In 2008 her vocation for gastronomic research led her to materialise the Leo Espinosa Foundation which aims to creates development initiatives in rural communities by strengthening culinary traditions, nutrition and food security.

[1] Her signature style, developed at Leo Cocina y Cava, is the use of traditional ingredients (many of them unknown in popular cuisine) that are part of the cultural fiber of disenfranchised indigenous, afro-descendant and peasant communities of Colombia.

[3] This fusion, she credits, in part, to her upbringing in Cartagena, which, with its mix of Spanish, African and native Indian cultures, Espinosa considers to be the 'birthplace of Colombian cuisine'.

Starting in June, 2015, Espinosa opened her latest casual concept, Misia, located a few steps from the National Museum where honours Colombian flavours.

'[1] On 8 March 2013, FUNLEO partnered with Oxfam to work on the GROW sustainable food production campaign in Colombia,[12][13] among other development projects held by international cooperation agencies as USAID.